How to Diagnose General Computer Hardware
Problems
By eHow Contributor
Diagnose General Computer Hardware Problems
Mr. Turtledove was, for years, a computer support manager. Over those years
he developed a simple and effective way to determine the basic problem with
computer hardware malfunctions.
So, your computer is not working at all. How do you know what to do next?
Calling in service can get expensive, and who wants all the hassle of
unplugging everything and dragging the computer to a service shop?
Print this out and use it as a checklist. At the end of this process you should be
able to make a decision about what to do with your computer.
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Instructions
1.
o 1
Before you start this initial functionality test, UNPLUG YOUR COMPUTER and
the other attached devices. Make sure NO ELECTRICITY is coming into your
system. On a positive side, oftentimes an unplugged system is the root of all the
dysfunction. Best practices in computer repair demands that you start with the
most obvious, thus the simplest, problems. This saves time and expense.
By doing this you may discover the cause right off the bat. Now, how did it get
unplugged? I'm afraid I can't help you with that one! By the way, ALWAYS
complete Step 2 before plugging the computer in, if you discover this is the
issue.
o 2
As weird as it sounds, inspect and SMELL YOUR COMPUTER BOX. If it smells
like burning metal or plastic, or something looks melted or darkened, go no
further. Do not attempt to start your system as there may be a fire hazard
inside of it. Do the same with your monitor.
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o 3
Check to see if your computer components are CONNECTED CORRECTLY.
Again, start simple. You never know when someone has accidentally and
inadvertently moved a wire. If you have your computer's instruction booklet
(you did keep that, didn't you?), get it out now. Make sure even small things,
like your mouse, are correctly installed. Yes, something small like that could
hang your system.
o 4
Assuming all parts are correctly plugged in, and there is no smell of burning,
now PLUG YOUR COMPUTER INTO AN ELECTRICAL SOURCE. Again, do not
do this if you suspect something is burning.
o 5
Before you start your computer, please get ready to listen for sounds. Your
computer technician may ask you about the nature of any sounds at startup.
Get a small piece of paper and a pen - be prepared to write down a description
of sounds. Now, START YOUR COMPUTER.
o 6
WRITE DOWN SOUNDS. I know that seems weird, but use such words as
"whirring" and "scratching" or "high pitched," whatever describes the sound
best.
o 7
TURN OFF THE COMPUTER at the first detection of a burning smell, or of a
high pitched sound that irritates your ears. If you notice one of these things,
shut the computer down, unplug it and call your technician. If this is the case,
you will not be able to repair this problem.
o 8
If your computer boots normally and there are no strange sounds, your system
may not have major hardware issues. Over time, however, LISTEN to make
sure the SYSTEM FAN COMES ON. As the computer heats up this should kick
in. A burned out fan can age a system rapidly. Run a large program, such as a
web browser. If the fan makes strange sounds, shut your computer down
immediately.
If the fan does not come on after about ten minutes, it may not be functional.
If your hardware starts failing over time, be prepared to tell the technician
about this fact.
o 9
LISTEN for any kind of SOUNDS as the DISK DRIVE LIGHT flashes. There
should be a "normal" hum as the disk drive spins and searches for data. Again,
if you hear a strange sound, shut your computer immediately down (if
necessary, disconnect power).
o 10
MAKE A LIST of any HARDWARE CHANGES you made in the last month or
two. Your technician may want to know about anything you added.
o 11
If everything is working properly, consider having a technician do a "once-over"
check and a CLEANING OF THE CASE. Sometimes burning smells come from
dust inside your box. You should get a qualified computer technician to inspect
your computer once a year or so.
o 12
If you are still having problems, CALL YOUR TECHNICIAN and make sure you
have a list of sounds, computer changes, and your computer model and
specifications available. Be able to describe what is going on. Any information
on sounds, changes and hardware that you can give that person will be helpful.
o 13
Keep your TECHNICIAN'S PHONE NUMBER on your computer. Use a sticker
on the side. On that sticker make sure you describe your computer's model
number, manufacturer's name, what operating system you use, and how much
memory is in your computer.
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1. P.O.S.T. (Power On Self Test) Beep – One of the standards in the industry is a simple power check.
When you turn on the computer does it make a beep? One single beep? Computers are designed when
you turn them on to check for the most basic components they need to operate. For example:
Processor, Memory, Video Card. These three items are critical and must be included in the computer’s
guts in order for the system to post. If the basic components are there then you should usually hear a
beep. This tells you that the Power On Self Test was successful.
If you do not hear the P.O.S.T. Beep, then chances are you have a bad motherboard or processor.
Usually if you have some type of memory error either on the video card or within your RAM memory
sticks you will get a sequence of beep codes that indicate failure of memory. In any of these cases you
will need to have either a professional computer shop test your components or buy replacements
yourself and combine them to see if you can fix the problem.
2. Hard Drive Failure – This can be kind of a grey area, because hard drives consist of both hardware
components and magnetic data written to the hard drive’s platters in the form of positive and negative
charges, which are then interpreted as bits either 0 or 1. So if your hard drive data is corrupted…you
will often end up with an operating system error telling you some file is missing or corrupt. But why did
this happen? It is possible to lose data or end up with corrupt data because of hardware failure as well.
So we use some basic software utilities to test the hard drive. There are a ton of different utilities
available. Most Hard Drive manufacturers provide a disk with their retail products to test the drives.
Some computer manufacturers provide built in drive test utilities that can be accessed from a boot
menu. Usually pressing a function key on boot allows one to access these built in features. If those are
not available to you then you can search for different types of bootable “images”. You might try taking a
look at this MajorGeeks Page for more available programs.
3. Video Card Failure – Usually if your video card starts going bad it can happen one of two ways…it will
just stop sending signal through the card if the video processing chip has given up the ghost. Time to
replace it. You can try another monitor screen if you think the signal is not getting through. This helps
make sure that you are not mis-diagnosing the issue. Otherwise you might notice in game play or in
other graphics intensive environments that you get something called “artifacts”. These are usually
strange looking angular shapes that show gaping holes in the video card’s rendering of the graphics. It’s
usually best to just replace the card then.
4. Memory Failure – If you suspect the RAM memory is failing, the best thing you can do is run a utility
to test it. Either a bootable utility from the boot menu that is built in to your system or pick up a copy
of MemTest which is available to burn onto CD and use as a bootable tool. It is usually recommend to
test one stick of memory at a time. Additionally you can replace the sticks of memory if you have extras
to see if makes a difference. Symptoms of memory failure usually include programs crashing for no
apparent reason.
5. Motherboard Failure – One of the most common ways to note a motherboard failure is when the
system does not boot up or even power up. When this happens. It is possible that it is the processor…
but it is good to take a look at the motherboard. Physically examine the capacitors on the motherboard.
They look like little barrels. If they are swollen and/or discolored that means the motherboard is having
some major issues with power in that area. Capacitors can be unsoldered and replaced…but usually
only if you are desperate or super geeky.
6. Processor Failure – If the processor is bad…you might have had some occasion on which to smell that
funky smell we call giving up the smoke. The processor gets kind of stinky, like that smell of burned
plastic when it gets fried. The best way to test a processor is to stick it in another machine to see if it
will power and boot up. If a processor is dead….it will not heat up (in most cases). And it will not boot
either. It will not give you a P.O.S.T. Beep either.
7. Power Supply Failure – If a power supply is bad, chances are your system will not power on. But it
can be possible to have power supplies that are intermittently bad. Usually in this case you will have
random power failures and sometimes blue screens of death (BSOD’s). Most computer stores have
power supply testers and can tell you if the unit is just bad or if the voltages are inconsistent or sub
standard to the requirements for 3, 5 or 12 volt settings. Best to just replace a bad power supply.
8. Monitor / Screen Failure – The easiest way to test a bad monitor is to plug in a working one to your
computer. If you video card gives signal to the new monitor, then double check your conclusion of bad
monitor by plugging your monitor into another computer. If it does not power up…you know your
monitor is bad.
How to Diagnose Problems With Motherboard
Install Software
By TS Jordan, eHow Contributor
Diagnose motherboard install
problems by using the motherboard driver CD.
Motherboard driver software typically comes in a number of flavors, including
video drivers, Ethernet drivers and audio drivers. An improper or corrupt
installation of motherboard software renders the subsystem affected by the
driver impotent, preventing you from fully utilizing the tools of your
motherboard. Diagnose and correct this problem by reinstalling the necessary
drivers, enabling you to quickly ascertain the root cause of the issue.
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Things You'll Need
Motherboard driver CD
Instructions
1.
o 1
Insert the motherboard driver CD into the computer.
o 2
Click "Start" and click "Control Panel."
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o 3
Select "Device Manager." Open the necessary categories for the types of
drivers you are installing for your motherboard. For example, open the "Display
Adapters" menu if you have installed an onboard video driver for your
motherboard or open network adapters if you have installed the Ethernet
driver.
o 4
Double click on the installed item, select "Drivers," and select "Update Driver."
o 5
Select the drive letter of your optical drive. The computer will detect and
reinstall the appropriate driver.
o 6
Reboot your computer and determine if that resolved the issue. If it did, you
have located the affected subsystem. If it did not, repeat the procedure,
reinstalling the driver for a different installed motherboard driver software file.
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How to Diagnose & Repair Your PC
By Alexandra Bee, eHow Contributor
Fixing a PC can be simple but
may also require a bit of physical work.
Sometimes computers slow down and do not run as quickly as they should.
Viruses and an overflowing hard drive of data can easily slow or even
potentially completely stop your computer from working. PCs usually offer a
few system services that can possibly fix the issue on your system. Virus
programs and computer repairing software is another option, as sometimes the
problem is too complex for the simple fixes provided for the computer. Some
fixes are quick and free while others---and programs---will cost you, but they
are beneficial in the long run. Since every problem on a PC varies widely in its
fix, read your computer's official support website and user manual.
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Things You'll Need
Anti-virus software
Instructions
1. Clean Your PC
o 1
Shut down your computer and unplug all cords from the machine.
o 2
Open the side of your computer and verify the cables are all in place.
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o 3
Vacuum any dust inside the computer but do not touch the components with
the vacuum, as this can cause damage.
o 4
Replace the side of the computer and plug in the computer's cords.
o 5
Turn on your computer.
2. Fixing Freezing/Software Errors
o 6
Remove any recent software that may have caused any issues with your PC.
o 7
Download or purchase and use a popular or free Windows Registry Cleaner
program to repair and scan for registry errors and fix software issues.
o 8
Run a full scan on your PC overnight using an anti-virus program. Purchase
anti-virus software to protect issues from occurring in future instances as well.
o 9
Update your computer's drivers and software. Consult the official support
website for your PC on updating specific drivers and software on your
computer.
3. Other PC Fixes
o 10
Click "Start > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup." This tool will free
up space by deleting Web cookies and history which can accumulate over time.
This may help relieve slow computer speeds.
o 11
Click "Start > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter." The Disk
Defragmenter will vary in how long it will take to complete, as it optimizes all
of your files on the computer in a select drive to run quicker. Click on the drive
you are going to defragment once inside the software. Press "Analyze" on the
lower part of the main screen of the Disk Defragmenter. This will analyze the
amount of data your drive has and supply an estimate of the time it will take to
complete the defragment process.
o 12
Go to "Start > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore." Only use System
Restore if you have experience in working with your computer. System Restore
will take your computer back to a specific date. If you install a program and it
is causing your computer problems and will not uninstall, you can use System
Restore to back your computer up to a previous date. This will remove other
installed programs so be sure to back up your data before using System
Restore.
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1. Check the POST. POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is generally the first or second
thing that appears on a computer after turning on the power. This appears before the operating
system begins to load. The POST will display any problems found with hardware that makes the
computer unable to boot, POST may also display problems with hardware that allow the
computer to boot, but not operate at its full capacity during operation.
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2. 2
Notice the load time of the OS (operating system). A longer than usual load time may
indicate seek errors (or other errors) in the hard drive.
3. 3
Notice any graphics problems once the OS has loaded. Reduced graphics may indicate
driver failures or hardware failures with graphic cards.
4. 4
Perform an auditory test. An auditory test is an unorthodox, but still effective way of judging
how hard a computer is working. With the computer on and running, play any decent length
audio file (usually above 30 secs). If the audio is choppy or slow, it usually means that the
processor is working at an elevated level, or there is not enough RAM to run all programs
loading. Changing the startup sound is a great way to apply this test. Another issue associated
with choppy sounds is PIO (Programmed Input/Output) Mode. This affects how the hard drive
reads and writes data from a drive. Switching to DMA allows for faster reads and writes, and
can sometimes repair choppy audio.
5. 5
Check any newly installed hardware. Many operating systems, especially Windows, can
conflict with new drivers. The driver may be badly written, or it may conflict with another
process. Windows will usually notify you about devices that are causing a problem, or have a
problem. To check this use the Device Manager, this can be accessed by entering theControl
Panel, clicking the System icon, clicking the Hardware tab, and clicking on Device Manager.
Use this to check and arrange the properties of hardware.
6. 6
Check any newly installed software. Software may require more resources than the system
can provide. Chances are that if a problem begins after software starts, the software is causing
it. If the problem appears directly upon startup, it may be caused by software that starts
automatically on boot.
7. 7
Check RAM and CPU consumption. A common problem is a choppy or sluggish system. If a
system is choppy it is good practice to see if a program is consuming more resources than the
computer can provide. An easy way to check this is to use the Task Manager, right click on the
taskbar select Task Manager, and click the Processes tab. The CPU column contains a number
that indicates the percentage of CPU the process is consuming. The Mem Usage column
indicates how much memory a process is consuming.
8. 8
Listen to the computer, if the hard drive is scratching or making loud noises, shut off the
computer and have a professional diagnose the hard drive. Listen to the CPU fan, this
comes on a high speed when the CPU is working hard, and can tell you when the computer is
working beyond its capacity.
9. 9
Run a virus and malware scan. Performance problems can be caused by malware on the
computer. Running a virus scan can unearth any problems. Use a commonly updated virus
scanner (such as Norton Antivirus or Avast! Antivirus) and a commonly updated malware
scanner (such as Spybot Search & Destroy).
10. 10
Check for the problem in safe mode. As a last ditch effort, check the problem in safe mode.
To enter safe mode, tap F8 repeatedly during POST (this works on most systems). If the
problem persists in safe mode, it is a fair bet that the operating system itself is to blame.
How to Diagnose the Computer
Problem on Input Devices
By TS Jordan, eHow Contributor , last updated April 03, 2012
An input device is any piece of hardware used to communicate with a PC.
These include the mouse and keyboard as well as optional extras like joysticks
and touchscreens. When an input device malfunctions, you can take a few steps
to troubleshoot the problem, potentially saving you time and money at the
repair shop.
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Things You'll Need
Computer input components
Spare computer
Instructions
1.
o 1
Unplug the input device with the problem from the PC, replacing it with a
device of the same type that you're sure is functional. If the second device
works, you know that you have a problem with the original input device,
necessitating repair or replacement. If the second device fails to operate as
well, you should continue to Step 2.
o 2
Plug the original input device into a different port on the same computer. This
works when the input device can connect to multiple locations on the same
machine, as USB devices do. If the input device functions well when connected
to another port of the same type, you know that the problem is not with the
input device but with that particular port on the computer's motherboard.
o 3
When the device can only connect to one port (as with keyboards and certain
mouse types), plug the original input device to another computer. As in Step 2,
if the input device functions well when connected to another port of the same
type, you know that the problem is not with the input device but with that
particular port on the motherboard.
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How to Diagnose a Computer Problem
Many people are faced with everyday computer problems that are easy to fix, but
are unable to diagnose the actual problem. While there are many problems a
computer will be faced with, this article will tell you where to look for common
problems.
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Steps
1. Check the POST. POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is generally the
first or second thing that appears on a computer after turning on the power.
This appears before the operating system begins to load. The POST will
display any problems found with hardware that makes the computer unable
to boot, POST may also display problems with hardware that allow the
computer to boot, but not operate at its full capacity during operation.
2. Notice the load time of the OS (operating system). A longer than usual load
time may indicate seek errors (or other errors) in the hard drive.
3. Notice any graphics problems once the OS has loaded. Reduced graphics
may indicate driver failures or hardware failures with graphic cards.
4. Perform an auditory test. An auditory test is an unorthodox, but still effective
way of judging how hard a computer is working. With the computer on and
running, play any decent length audio file (usually above 30 secs). If the
audio is choppy or slow, it usually means that the processor is working at an
elevated level, or there is not enough RAM to run all programs loading.
Changing the startup sound is a great way to apply this test.
5. Check any newly installed hardware. Many operating systems, especially
Windows, can conflict with new drivers. The driver may be badly written, or it
may conflict with another process. Windows will usually notify you about
devices that are causing a problem, or have a problem. To check this use the
Device Manager, this can be accessed by entering the Control Panel, clicking
the System icon, clicking the Hardware tab, and clicking on Device Manager.
Use this to check and arrange the properties of hardware.
6. Check any newly installed software. Software may require more resources
than the system can provide. Chances are that if a problem begins after
software starts, the software is causing it. If the problem appears directly
upon startup, it may be caused by software that starts automatically on boot.
7. Check RAM and CPU consumption. A common problem is a choppy or
sluggish system. If a system is choppy it is good practice to see if a program
is consuming more resources than the computer can provide. An easy way to
check this is to use the Task Manager, right click on the taskbar select Task
Manager, and click the Processes tab. The CPU column contains a number
that indicates the percentage of CPU the process is consuming. The Mem
Usage column indicates how much memory a process is consuming.
8. Listen to the computer, if the hard drive is scratching or making loud noises,
shut off the computer and have a professional diagnose the hard drive.
Listen to the CPU fan, this comes on a high speed when the CPU is working
hard, and can tell you when the computer is working beyond its capacity.
9. Run a virus and malware scan. Performance problems can be caused by
malware on the computer. Running a virus scan can unearth any problems.
Use a commonly updated virus scanner (such as Norton Antivirus or Avast!
Antivirus) and a commonly updated malware scanner (such as Spybot Search
& Destroy).
10.Check for the problem in safe mode. As a last ditch effort, check the problem
in safe mode. To enter safe mode, tap F8 repeatedly during POST (this works
on most systems). If the problem persists in safe mode, it is a fair bet that
the operating system itself is to blame.
Tips
If you do not feel comfortable diagnosing or repairing a computer problem, it
is best to take the computer to a certified technician and have it repaired for
a moderate fee.
These procedures will begin to narrow down common problems, but to find a
specific problem, tools or specialized techniques may need to be used.
